Danny Röhl has touched down in Glasgow and is set to, within the next few hours, finalise a deal to become the new Rangers head coach, ending one of the most chaotic and publicly bruising searches in the club’s modern history.
Sources from inside the dressing room have confirmed that Rangers players were informed earlier today that a new head coach had been secured, though the name was notably not disclosed to the squad.
That lack of clarity sparked intense speculation, before confirmation emerged that Röhl is expected to complete the formalities of his appointment this evening.
It marks the conclusion of a two-week saga which began with Russell Martin’s dismissal and quickly devolved into a public circus featuring high-profile withdrawals, last-minute breakdowns, and a visibly fractured Ibrox leadership under severe scrutiny from the support.
At several points, the recruitment process appeared to be nearing a supposed done deal, only for candidates including ex Rangers gaffer Steven Gerrard and former player Kevin Muscat to withdraw amid concerns over the club’s internal structure and timing.
Röhl, 36, will become the youngest permanent head coach in Rangers history. The highly regarded German coach, who has previously worked as assistant at Bayern Munich, Southampton and the German national team, emerged earlier in the summer as a modern, progressive candidate with a reputation for intense pressing football and player development, whilst not being as pragmatic and stubborn in his beliefs as Martin.
His previous spell at Sheffield Wednesday also demonstrated his ability to stabilise and motivate a squad quickly, despite inheriting a difficult environment.
Yet his arrival at Ibrox comes with the baggage of a recruitment process that has been criticised from all angles. What should have been a decisive, controlled appointment turned into an open-source drama, with the club repeatedly forced on the defensive while potential head coaches/managers slipped away.
Fan anger reached boiling point, with CEO Patrick Stewart and sporting director Kevin Thelwell publicly targeted by banners and chants demanding resignations during Saturday's match at Ibrox against Dundee United.
Röhl steps into the role with supporters desperate for clarity, identity and authority, and a squad already bracing for a decrease in tactical demands but an increase in mentality and professional standards. That the players were told a head coach was secured, but not who it was, only underscores the sense of secrecy and tension that has surrounded this appointment.
Historians will likely look back on these two weeks as a perfect example in how not to recruit a head coach. But for Rangers, the only story that matters now is whether Danny Röhl can draw a line under an embarrassing chapter, and begin writing one of resurgence and rebirth.
The new era is about to begin. How long it takes to win over a disgruntled and angry fanbase may be Röhl’s first real test.